Ava Witthauer of Shoreview has been in the habit of helping others since she was a little girl at Parkview Center School in Roseville -- from raising cash donations for victims of 2004’s deadly tsunami in southeast Asia, collecting thousands of Valentine’s Day cards for troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, to helping start a food shelf at Roseville Area High School (RAHS).
“She was born this way,” her mother Kim says. “As far back as I can remember she has been looking for ways to help others.”

Commuters traveling along Interstate 694 in the northeast metro should see shorter commute times starting in 2015.
Last month, Gov. Mark Dayton and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) announced ten highway projects to receive $300 million in funding through the state’s new Corridors of Commerce program. The program was established during the 2013 legislative session to improve the movement of freight and add capacity to some of the state’s most congested roadways.

The memorial for Maplewood Police Sgt. Joseph Bergeron, who was shot while on duty, was vandalized on either Nov. 21 or 22. (submitted photo)

The St. Paul Police Department’s Eastern District reported that the Sgt. Bergeron Memorial was vandalized sometime between 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 21 and 9 a.m. on Nov. 22.
The memorial, which sits at the intersection of Arlington Avenue East and North English Street, was covered in white paint.

Beginning Monday, Dec. 2, the Sun Ray Library will be closed for many months while the place receives a welcome facelift.
The library is getting a $5.5 million renovation, which will include adding a new facade with more windows, a reading garden, a 24-hour book drop, a new “teen zone” and an expanded children’s section.
The project goes to bid sometime in the month of December, said Rebecca Ryan, the library’s manager. Because a contractor has not been chosen, the re-opening date of the library is unsure, she said.

Erick’s Bar, located at 949 E. 7th St., was demolished after a ceremony held by the St. Paul Port Authority Nov. 21. The triangular space is the final piece of the Beacon Bluff redevelopment. (Linda Baumeister/Review)

Erick’s Bar used to be a go-to for blue-collar workers pouring out of the nearby 3M, Whirlpool, Northern Maleable Iron, and Hospital Linens. Now, it’s a pile of rubble.
Its last day open was Saturday, Sept. 28.
The bar was purchased in October by the St. Paul Port Authority from the long-time owner, Gary Erickson.

When you’re an elementary-age student, having a good friend in the same grade can change the way you feel about school.
Second graders at Somerset Elementary in Mendota Heights, however, are learning that a good friend who’s a bit older (sometimes more than 80 years) can change you for life.
On Nov. 22, second-grade students at Somerset met for the first time with the grownup counterparts who will mentor, help, play with and write to them through the upcoming school year as part of the school’s Special Pals in Fun Friendship program.

Tim Turner and Chris Melendez, pictured on the far right, who lead the Conway Young Men’s Group, chat with a group of the older boys following a talk from Ramsey County Sheriff Matt Bostrom. (Patrick Larkin/Review_

The Conway Young Men’s Group is at this point a loose-knit group with noble aims.
Since February, the group of boys has been getting together every Thursday to hang out, talk about personal troubles, social issues, and to simply have a place to go.
The boys, ranging in age from 12 to 18, gather at the Conway Recreation Center and follow the lead of the group’s organizers, Tim Turner and Chris Melendez, who helped start the group out of a desire to connect with youths.

Inver Grove Heights residents interested in constructing vertical axis wind turbines now have nothing to wait for but a strong wind.
The city council approved an ordinance that will allow the turbines as a permitted use in the city’s A and E-1 zoning districts in its Nov. 25 meeting. The measure allows residents to construct one turbine up to 52.5 feet tall per 15 acres of land.
Prior to the new ordinance, vertical axis wind turbines had been allowed in the city with a conditional use permit, and Council member Dennis Madden reiterated his belief at the Nov. 25 meeting things shouldn’t change. Madden said he was considered that allowing the turbines as a permitted use would lead to a proliferation of the machines at the cost of the city’s rural appeal.

St. Paul police were called to the 800 block of East Fourth Street after receiving an anonymous tip that there was an unidentified dead man lying there.
Police arrived at approximately 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26, and found a man dead from an apparent gunshot wound, according to a police report.

The private partner for the Conway Recreation Center, the Sanneh Foundation, has begun its transition into the facility. (Patrick Larkin/Review)

After a long process, the private partner for Conway Rec Center, the Sanneh Foundation, has the official go ahead at Conway Recreation Center.
The Sanneh Foundation had originally hoped to have a contract in place with St. Paul by Sept. 1. That was delayed by contract negotiations and city processes.
But on Wednesday, Nov. 20, the contract was approved by the city council.